Drying equipment



Nov. 1l, 1952 P. HOPKINS DRYING EQUIPMENT Filed July 7, 1950 fr -G 2' w&.

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ATTO RN EYSP Patented Nov. 11, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRYING EQUIPMENT Lionel P. Hopkins, Summit, N. J. Application July 7, 1950, Serial No. 172,453

1 Claim.

This invention relates to clothes driers, and particularly those which may be conveniently installed within a home laundry or kitchen.

An object of this invention is to provide a clothes drier which will occupy a minimum amount of space and be completely self-contained.

Another object of this invention is to provide a clothes drier having a rack thereon, which may be opened for the easy placement thereon of clothes, and thereafter folded so as to place the clothes within the said drier.

A feature oi this invention is its overhead heating and air blast unit.

Another feature of this invention is its retractable rack construction.

A further feature of this invention is its completely enclosed structure, providing a maximum of safety and a neat appearance.

The invention consists of the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as herein illustrated, described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, is illustrated one form of embodiment of the invention, in which drawings similar reference characters designate corresponding parts, and in which:

Figure l is a View in front elevation of a clothes drier. according to the present invention, showing the front doors thereof in a closed position.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the clothes drier shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view in front elevation, somewhat enlarged, of a clothes drier in opened position, in accordance with the present invention, with internal parts shown in dotted lines.

Figure 4 is a vertical section of the clothes drier shown in Figure 2, taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, I8 indicates a cabinet having doors I'I on the front thereof, and a screened opening I2 above the said doors. A side of the said cabinet Il) is provided with screened openings I3 and I 4 at the top and bottom respectively, of the said cabinet. The upper portion of the cabinet I comprises the heater and fan space I 5 within which is located a bladed fan IB of any suitable design mounted upon a perforated baffle I'I. the baiile I'I are a plurality of resistance heating elements I8 for the purpose of heating the air within the chamber I5. The heated air is directed downward by the fan element and said air passes through a screen 29 in order to pre- Secured to the underside of f Vent foreign matter from reaching the clothes upon the drier.

When the drier is in operation, air entering through the screened openings I2 and I3 is pulled through holes in the baifle I1 by the fan I6, so that it iiows past the heating elements I8. The warm air is thus directed downwardly across such clothes as may be hung upon a rack I9 located in the bott-om part of the -cab-inet I 0. The warm, moist air is eventually forced out of the cabinet through the screened opening I 4 in the bottom of said cabinet I0.

The rack member I 9, best shown in Figures 3 and 4, consists of spaced vertical members 20 at the top and bottom of which are secured rollers 2 I, said rollers being slidably carried by channels 22 and 23 secured to the walls of the cabinet Il.

Pivotally mounted arms 24 and 25 are secured to the vertical members 20, as indicated at 26 and 21. The arms 24, 25 carry thereon vertical clothes retaining racks 28, such as are well known in the clothes drier art. When it is desired to load the clothes drier the racks are grasped and pulled forward until the front of the arms 24 and the racks 28 clear the front of the cabinet I8. The forwardmost rack 28 may be swung downwardly from the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 4 to that shown in full lines. The racks may then be loaded with clothes. Thereafter, the racks 28 may be raised and the entire assembly slid within the cabinet I0 by means of the track members 22 and 23 and the rollers 2i carried by the vertical members 20.

The doors II may then be closed and the fan and heating elements actuated for the purpose of passing a column of Warm air vertically across the clothes within the cabinet.

It will be seen that the above construction provides a clothes drier which will occupy a minimum amount of space, and provide easy access for loading and unloading the said clothes drier.

If the clothes hung upon the drier happen to be too damp and drippage occurs, means is provided in the shape of a pan 30 supported in the lower part of the drier for receiving such moisure.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

A drier comprising, a cabinet having doors in the front thereof, upper and lower comparments in the said cabinet, a baffle between the compartments, a fan carried by the barile, va heat producing member located bel-ow the baiile, a

foldable rack comprising spaced Vertical members, spaced arms pvotally secured to the vertical member and article supporting lattices carried between the said arms, the whole being slidably secured to the Walls by means of blocks, said blocks being receivable Within channel members carried by the walls of the cabinet within the lower compartment, said rack being extendable When the doors are opened to facilitate loading and foldable to fit Within the cabinet, and air intake and exhaust openings in the walls of the cabinet.

LIONEL P. HOPKINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Lucas Apr. 1, 1924 Hutchinson Apr. 1, 1930 Snively July 12, 1932 Martin Nov. 1, 1932 Buschman Feb. 6, 1934 Whalen Jan. 11, 1938 Hulick f Apr. 13, 1943 Palmer Apr. 22, 1947 Williams Aug. 23, 1949 

